\Fiddler kicks up its heels

\Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as...as a fiddler on the roof, announces Tevye, a humble milkman from the Russian village of Anatevka. And so begins a tale of love and laughter, devotion and defiance...and changing traditions.

"Fiddler on the Roof," the Tony Award-winning musical that has captured the hearts of people all over the world with its universal appeal, continues on its North American Tour and will play at Proctors from Jan. 4 to 9. Audiences will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Jerome Robbins' original Broadway direction and choreography, starring veteran actor John Preece.

No other musical has so magically woven music, dance, poignancy and laughter into such an electrifying and unforgettable experience. Relive a glorious tradition of the musical theatre with "Fiddler on the Roof," shared with family and cherished friends, especially during the holiday season. Appropriate for all ages, "Fiddler on the Roof" is part of the Key Private Bank Broadway Series at Proctors. The production lasts for 2 hours and 50 minutes, with one intermission.

Tevye's wrestling with the new customs of a younger generation is punctuated by an unforgettable score that weaves the haunting strains of "Sunrise, Sunset" and the rousing "If I Were A Rich Man" with the exuberant "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" and triumphant "Tradition." When his daughters choose suitors who defy his idea of a proper match, Tevye comes to realize, through a series of incidents that are at once comic and bittersweet, that his children will begin traditions of their own.

At the story's close, the villagers of Anatevka are forced to leave their homes and even the sturdy mores that have guided everyday life begin to crumble. Paradoxically, it is the enforced loss of the rigid traditions and home life that Tevye has tried so tenaciously to preserve that leads the family to reconcile and draw closer still.